The Aftermath
by The Fo11ower
Summary: Bronn Ravine had a goal, everyone he'd met at beacon had one, and the fall took away their dreams. Vale was a mess, communications down, supplies limited and people in panic after the recent event, someone had to set things right, HE would set things right.
1. A glimpse of the Future

**Hey everyone! Before starting i would just like to point out somethings:**

 **1.- This IS gonna be about how the remaining huntsman managed to make things better for the survivors of the fall of Beacon.**

 **2.- It will be divided in two parts, one being to introduce characters and give them some development and the second half of the story will be after the fall of Beacon.**

 **Without further ado... ENJOY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A glimpse of the future**

Beacon.

The first place where the aspiring hero would seek, the light of hope in a dark and cruel world, the peace that the kingdom of Vale has is indeed, thanks to Beacon.

Every single person to ever attend Beacon had made a vow to defend the weak, to protect humanity and on top of all, kill grimm.

And now he was bound to be the same.

Shoulders stiffened and eyes widened to the mere idea of it, clenching hands into fists, stabbing himself with his nails. Killing grimm was no new concept thanks to leaving in a small village in the outskirts of Mistral with his father, and neither was fighting due to the same reason, normally he would be calm as the eye of a hurricane, but now, it felt like a tornado of anger and frustration caused mayhem within his mind, yet what that bothered him was just as simple as a glass of water. Fighting for humanity was an unpleasant thought, although one he need to bear with, as a faunus, with a strange trait on top of it, he lived a life full of discrimination and hate, it seemed that the mere sight of his eagle legs disgusted many, and at some point, he hated them too.

And now he was just expected to swallow his past and leave it to rot in the depths of memory?

"No, I need to calm down, the past is past, I shouldn't let it get in my way," the young faunus whispered to himself as he let loose his hands.

"You said something son?" his father said while looking at him, pale lavender eyes meeting the bright orange of his son's.

"What?" he answered with a slight hint of surprise on his voice, while at the same time remembering that the ears of a wolf tend to be sharper than a human's – I guess I'm just a little nervous about it all.

"Ha!" the man laughed loudly "I know right? First day is always the worst, don't worry, I'm sure the people in there are nice."

"Define nice," the son said, stopping his walk towards the Beacon bullhead to look at the taller figure of his father with a raised eyebrow and eyes that screamed skepticism.

The father stopped as well to give a sarcastic look to his son, leaving a small sigh escape his mouth

"Nice from the verb: they won't bully you for cause' of your legs," the wolf eared man said before turning, letting a small laugh and continue to walk.

"I demand a second choice!" said the boy with the legs of a raptor bird in a joking tone.

"Fine, either you go to Beacon," he said leaving a small gap of silence "or I smash your testicles with a hammer till your pelvis is reduced to dust," said the older man while rolling his eyes.

"And then I get to rest?" the boy answered sarcastically.

"No, then you have to finish the furniture project you've been working on," said the wolf with an ear to ear smile.

"Crap, fine then, I'll bite… I just hope things go fine,"

The wolf stopped his walk, turning to face his son and placing an arm on his still hardened shoulder.

"Look, I'm not saying it's gonna be a garden of roses, I'm just saying the humans aren't as bad as you think,"

"Was mother nothing?" the eagle said with rage in his voice.

"Bronn…" the older man said with concern "look, a people can't be judged by the actions of a few, think of the the White Fang, do you honestly believe that their actions will give a better future to the faunus? They were quick to judge, and look where it got us."

Silence struck like a warhammer, tension could be felt in the air while the man waited for an answer, his father had a point, he wouldn't give him the reason, the blood that many had spilled would not be in vane. Sienna Khan had changed the Fang, in a way that when humans pushed us, we would push them back, peace hadn't work before, protesters were gunned down or arrested, we needed new solutions, and the answer was obvious, we needed to fight the fire with fire, peace didn't worked, and it had it's fair chance, action was needed.

"It did no good," he muttered just to satisfy his old man.

"Good," the wolf said letting out a small sigh, closing his eyes, opening them up, and start talking again "Look, the people you will met have the potential to become your best friends, family even, not mattering if they have tails or not, but only if you open your heart and let them," he then turned back to the front, without letting go of his son's shoulder and gave the raptor a small push to the ramp aboard the bullhead.

"Think about it son," the man said before waiving a hand goodbye.

The son of the wolf waved back as he walked towards the airship, a reminder of the future that all huntsman shared.

The thought crossed the mind of the young man as he stepped into the bullhead that would carry him to his destination, letting out a sigh of relief as his shoulders lowered, leaving his muscles to rest, it wasn't a surprise that he was so nervous, many would be just as well, but most of them fall in the "I go to Beacon for fame, fortune and friends" category or just "column A", however, Bronn Ravine had a goal, something that put him on the "column Z", he wouldn't let it to happen, not again.

The bullhead took of as his mind continued to get lost in itself, until suddenly, a voice interrupted his thoughts, soft, warm like a flame, speaking in an almost whispering manner, like if she didn't wanted to be heard and with a particular accent that made her the more distinguishable.

"Y-you don't seem as nervous like the rest of us," said the voice of the girl that found behind his back.

"A hundred lien says I'll be hyperventilating after this thing drops us," Bronn answered as he started to turn around to face her "It's just the calm before the storm y' know."

"I'm sure you're just exaggerating things."

Meh, she was right about that, he probably wouldn't hyperventilate but nervousness would rise up from 50 to 9000 when the time came. Even he could succumb to panic after all.

"It's just how things go with this type of thin-"

His voice was interrupted by the mere sight of the girl, eyes lightened as he felt his cheeks tainting with a garnet red, brown eyes made the perfect company to her long hair of matching color, however, the thing that caught his attention the most was the pair of rabbit ears that raised above her head.

"C-can you please don't stare at them? It feels weird," said the bunny girl while tilting her ears down.

"Oh! Sorry" Bronn snapped back to reality as he realized eyes were fixated on her ears, while immediately thinking of an excuse "it's just that your ears make you look a lot cuter than what you already are."

It took him a moment to realize how badly he fucked it up, his tongue went faster than his brain, something that he rarely went through, maybe it was the nervousness of being on his way to Beacon, or because he was talking with someone on day one… maybe it was both.

"What?" answered the faunus girl with a slight hint of red on her cheeks.

"Oh, sorry, just my tongue waggling, I guess I'm just nervous," the boy answered quickly with a perfectly calm voice.

"Your tone speaks different" she said with a hand on her waist and a skeptical grin

"Oh but I am," the raptor scratched the back of his head "it's just that my voice doesn't always necessarily reflect my feelings."

She did not looked amused at all.

He moved a hand to his chest and squeezed as he made his best impression of a man with crippling depression having a heart attack, while letting out a small hiss to stage pain.

"That's hurtful, it really hurts."

Before the girl could answer the voice of a exited young man looking through the windows caught the attention of both, soon everyone aboard the bulkhead joined to watch the perfect sight of Vale, however, two people did not seem to care about the view, one of them had tanned skin, scars spread throughout his entire body, wearing black sunglasses to cover his eyes. However, it wasn't him that caught his eye, but rather the boy who stood beside him. His eyes were completely white, not a single sign of life in them, skin pale as the snow, long hair black as ink fell on his face, covering part of it, he irradiated sadness, the way he stood, how his head was tilted downwards, his lifeless white eyes told the story of a man that had seen too much for one lifetime.

The raptor couldn't help but feel pity for the man, and suddenly, the blind moved his head upwards, turning to face him, white staring at bright orange, he couldn't resist the urge to look the other way, moving to stand at the side of the girl he just had talked to, he could feel the stare of the man, he tried to not care, and so the raptor turned his attention back to the view that the windows provided, Beacon was close, they would soon arrive to their destination.

A few seconds past, he smiled at how the city looked so small from where he was, buildings looked like toys, and people like ants, it felt like he could squash them if he wanted to, and then, a hologram appeared, showing the image of a woman, probably one of the teachers at the school.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon!" the voice of the woman spoke drawing the attention of those who still stared outside "my name is Glynda Goodwitch, you are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy, our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsman and Huntresses it is your duty to uphold it, you have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

The obviously prerecorded message finally ended, the room went back to being noisy as the rest of the aspirants got back to talking, while he remained silent as he started to move his legs, opening and closing his claws, while the faunus girl at his side watched him with a small smile on her face.

"What?" the boy asked "I told you I would get nervous."

"I thought you were being sarcastic!" the rabbit said while laughing quietly "I truly belived you were joking."

"What's so funny?" the eagle questioned.

"It's just funny to watch calm people losing it," she sighed "if I just had my camera…"

"That hurts my feelings… um," he tried to recall her name, scratching his head in the search of an answer, just to realize a few seconds later that he didn't knew it.

The bullhead stopped, lowering the access ramp, students started to pour out of the airship like an avalanche the only difference being that this was less lethal and a lot more enthusiastic.

"It was nice talking to you, see you around!" the girl waved her hand goodbye as she started to walk away.

"Wait!" he said "I didn't catch your name.

"Oh right, I almost forgot," the bunny stopped and turned to face him "I'm Velvet."

"Bronn Ravine" he said while making a small bow.

"Fancy," she said with a smile.

They shaked hands

"Best I can do," Bronn said with a grin "so, I'll se ya around."

"See you" Velvet waved her hand, and turned around.

Well, first day wasn't going bad, but now the spark of doubt lightened up in his mind, a single question, simple as the air that blew at him, something so simplistic, yet so hard to answer.

"Where was I supposed to go now?"

* * *

 **So there you have it, the beginning of the series, I hope you enjoy it!**


	2. On Your Marks

**Hey everyone!**

 **Seems like my worst nightmare is coming closer, initiation, it's not that I don't know what to exactly do, it's just that it's gone be a looooong chapter, but anyway, here's chapter 2, boy it took me a while, enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: On your marks**

"ugh, finally," Bronn let out a long sigh of relief as he stepped into the main hall, place where the headmaster would give his speech to the newcomers.

Apart from everyone who where in the bullhead before, there were a couple of people on uniforms, he supposed they were senior students getting an eye feast on the raw meat.

The hall was filled with the noise of chattering and muttering from the young students, he hated the noise, but couldn't blame them either, it was a way to feel safe, to calm the rising nervousness, some others just limited themselves to look at their scrolls, some others played with whatever they happened to be holding, while others just stood still in an effort to keep their minds focused. Everyone had their way to find peace, he was no different, and so, he closed his eyes and started humming one of his favorite songs, one that his mother used to sing to him, it brought memories, the warm sun on his face, the cool wind moving the leaves of the trees around him, making a comforting sound, mother hugging him while singing in her whispering voice the music that was crossing his mind, it was the memory of a once happy time.

The song continued until the end, he had calmed down, head clear as the sky of that day, eyes opened slowly, as he realized some of the people around him stared at him, he did not care about it.

"Dude, I love that song!" a cherry voice behind him shouted quietly as it gave him a light punch on his shoulder, oh god, his so appreciated moment of peace was blown away the second he could achieve it, he was angry, Bronn turned around to face whoever dared to disturb him during his time of calm, only to trade one emotion for another.

The man was tall, tall as he, hair tainted with an orange bright, eyes green as the grass during summer, he made sure to remember how he looked like, Bronn moved his eyes downwards to look at his body, however there was something out of place, something unusual…

He was confused, the head of the man in front of him was looking at him, yet his body was not... that wasn't right…

"What the f–" his mouth started to say in confusion.

"Oh! Sorry man," he interrupted "I tend to do that," the boy said as the rest of his body started to turn into the direction of his head.

"H-how?" Bronn said in still, massive confusion.

"Never seen an owl faunus lad?! I can turn my head 270 degrees, some fools say it's 360," he grunted "bunch of uncultured little shits."

The anger kicked back like a rock hitting river bottom, not towards the overly cheery and hyperactive attitude of the boy, but his actions, he could have so easily hidden his heritage, and yet he was just showing it off, he could have lived a life free of discrimination, and yet, he just didn't seemed to care, it was something that he wished he had years ago, and he just wasted the opportunity, was he really that stupid?.

That question was answered almost immediately after he thought of it as he saw the boy pull out an oversized hip flask from an equally huge leather pouch on his belt. Bronn couldn't help but to look at it with a skeptical, yet curious look.

"Want some lad?" the owl asked after taking a large drink from it.

"I rather stay away from alcohol until I'm 20, so no," Bronn answered making a gesture with his hand to signalize that he didn't wanted it, a message clear enough for anyone.

"Of course ya do fella!" he said enthusiastically as he forcefully shoved the alcohol filled flask on his hand, clearly body language didn't worked on idiots, he wished it had, but now it would just be rude to not comply.

"Fine, fine!" he said annoyed, it couldn't be too bad, he was sure that it couldn't be that strong of an alcohol given how that guy drank it like water "cheers," he started drinking with all the confidence in the world, it proved to be the worst mistake he had made in the whole day, the brew was so strong that he swore he felt the nerves on his throat die after he swallowed it, his stomach wasn't too happy with it either.

He immediately putted the flask away, giving it back to it's owner as he coughed violently while trying to stay on his feet.

The owl started to laugh loudly

"I know right?!" the boy said while laughing "it puts some chest on your chest," he said proudly as he sealed his flask and saved it on his pouch.

"What kind of poison was that?!" Bronn said with a rough voice.

"My special brew, 80% alcohol," he said while patting his leather pouch.

"Isn't that used to treat wounds?!" Bronn shouted as loud as he could, which wasn't much given how much his throat burned.

"Ethyl alcohol? Nah, this has a better flavor, ethyl is just so…" he stopped for a second to grunt in disgust "and don't get me started with isopropyl, that shit tastes like the meals that my sister prepares, and that's saying something"

"From your sister's meals, or from the isopropyl alcohol?" the raptor asked with legitimate curiosity.

He stopped to think for a fraction of a second before turning to Bronn.

"Good question"

"Rutherford!" an angry female voice was heard shouting in the distance.

They both turned their heads for face whoever was making all that racket, it was a girl just as tall as both of them, she looked a lot like the man at Bronn's side, they were almost equals, except for the gender difference, and the fact that she wasn't an owl, but a fox tailed faunus

"Speak of the devil," he said as he let out a sigh "sup sis?" Rutherford questioned in a disappointed tone.

"I've been looking for you since you since we left the bullhead!" the girl shouted angrily as she steeped in front of the owl.

"Well, you've found me," he said with arms open wide.

"You're an idiot," she answered letting out a sigh of frustration.

"What the– " Bronn started to say confused.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't saw you," she said in surprise "I'm Raya Lockhart, and this is my brother, Rutherford Lockhart, it's nice to meet you" Raya said as she shook Bronn's hand.

"Nice to meet you.. I guess," Bronn answered awkwardly.

"Yeah! Now if you excuse me, I'm taking my brother elsewhere," she said that with a look of fury and frustration in her eyes.

"Don't sugar coat it, you're gonna ground me," Rutherford said sarcastically.

"You really get in my nerves sometimes" Raya grunted at him as she dragged him along.

Well, that was something

A few more minutes passed before all new students where in the same room together, once the room was crowded enough, the headmaster started his speech.

"I'll try to make this quick," professor Ozpin said as he started his speech "all of you gathered here to fulfill your goals, not mattering how big or small they are, you have come in the search of knowledge, a tool to aid you in your quest, but there is only so much that knowledge can do to help you, it is up to you to take the first step."

The hall went silent for a second before Goodwitch started talking.

"All of you will gather in the ballroom, where you will pass the night, make sure to prepare yourselves for tomorrow's initiation."

The rest of the day was boring, there was nothing exceptionally remarkable about it, we did as professor Goodwitch had told us to, we were provided with sleeping bags for each of us, he had never been in a slumber party, but if it was anything like this… it would be awful.

He tried to not care about it, it would just be for one night, he could bare with it. He recalled events of the day, letting out a small sigh escape his lips, he shut his eyes close, sleep came soon after.

 _"Do you like that song?" the woman in a white and yellow dress asked softly, without letting her son go of her embrace._

 _"I love it mom!" young Bronn answered happily with a wide smile on his face._

 _"I love it too, your father used to sing it to me y' know, those were such good times," she said placing a hand on Bronn's shoulder._

 _"Do you miss them?" the raptor asked worried._

 _"Sometimes" she answered warmly "but what I have now, I wouldn't trade it for anything," the woman added "now come, I'll prepare your favorite meal, and I'm sure your father will be paranoid if we don't get back soon" she placed herself at the side of Bronn as they headed back to the town they lived in._

 _They took a few steps, and then a bullet pierced her head._

Bronn's eyes opened in horror, letting out a small shout as he stood up from his sleeping bag. The nightmares were something that he was used to, but that didn't made them any less horrifying.

He turned to look at the window at his side, it was morning already, the sun was rising, breaking the night sky, it seemed he was the first to wake up, not everyone was an early riser, he looked around the room, he could see Velvet and the Lockhart twins, who slept side by side.

He took a deep breath to try and relax, his hands were shaking, it did not matter how many times he dreamed about it, the memory was haunting. He looked around once more, and to his surprise, the bag next to him was empty, as he finished the thought a figure appeared on the entrance of the room, carefully making his way towards him, he was holding a small thermos on his hand.

"You're awake," his voice was deep, it showed no emotion or life, like the voice of a warrior tired of fighting "are you feeling okay? You seemed to be having a horrible nightmare."

Bronn did not answered, instead, he looked at who the other person was, he recognized him immediately, pale skin, hair dark as charcoal, and those unmistakable white eyes.

"How would you know?" Bronn asked confused.

"Your breathing was rough and fast, you where fidgeting and sweating, also you muttered somethings but I couldn't catch what you were saying."

"And how did you noticed?" the raptor asked once more.

"Being blind has it's advantages," he answered.

The man sat on the empty sleeping bag beside him, the once lifeless eyes of the blind were now filled with concern, he took a moment to open the small thermos and pour a pale yellow liquid on the cap of the container, using it as a mug.

"You're trembling," he paused for a moment "here, this will help you relax."

"What's this?" Bronn said as his shaking hands took the mug.

"Tea"

The raptor stared at the liquid for a moment before taking a sip, it was delicious, chamomile soft against his lips, mint barely noticeable that gave a fresh taste to it, the quantity of sugar was nothing but perfect, the warm drink left a delicious aftertaste, he closed his eyes and continued to drink the tea slowly, making sure to enjoy every sip of it until he finished it.

He had calmed down.

"Feeling better?" white eyes stared at him in doubt.

"Yes, I am" Bronn took a deep breath "thanks" he said softly.

"Anytime."

"I have a question though," the raptor said "How did you made it? We haven't been given the opportunity to explore the school, ad there's no way you could have found the kitchens in your own, not during the night, and besides, that is not a common type of tea, so, how you did it?"

"Well," the blind said almost immediately after Bronn's question "I suffer from nightmares as well so a friend of mine taught me how to prepare a relaxing infusion, I still have them, so I always have one ready to drink, it's just a matter of warming it up" he paused "as for how did I warmed it, a couple of fire crystals did just fine, I left the room because the warmth of it could have awakened someone."

"But where did you warm it?" the raptor asked again.

"In the thermos," he said calmly.

"Wouldn't it be too hot to touch then?" Bronn asked yet again.

"Gloves" he said as he made a little wave with his hands "with that out of the way, you should get up, everyone's gonna wake up soon."

And just as he said that, some of the other students in the room started to get up, some certainly were happier than others, he followed the man's advice and got up from the bedroll, he then changed into his normal attire, breeches that covered till a couple centimeters below his knee, knee-high boots that accommodated to the shape of his legs, leaving a tiny space at the fingertips that let the claws out of the shoe, a tight gray shirt that gave him comfort and a good mobility to his chest, a dark brown leather jacket that matched the color of his hair, with small yellow details, his symbol on the front side near his heart, a red and silver phoenix doing a swoop surrounded by yellow flames. He then proceeded to place some armor on top of his clothing, a few pieces of metal to cover his legs and arms, without sacrificing mobility, his one weakness his torso which he left unprotected.

After equipping himself with armor, he proceeded to the locker where he left his weapon, a pair of gauntlets with retractable claws and a small chamber with ice dust.

An image of Glynda Goodwitch appeared on a nearby monitor.

"To all new students, please report to Beacon cliff for initiation," The woman stopped speaking and a few seconds after, the screen went black.

He knew where to go, and so decisively started to walk towards his destination, some people along the way gave him side looks, probably because of his legs, it did not matter, he it's was initiation day, he had a task to complete, and little time to loose.

The first thing he realized upon arriving was that the headmaster himself was there, and that he was the first student to arrive the professor signaled him to stand above one of the plaques with the school symbol, be complied by standing atop the first one on the left. It took around ten minutes for everyone to arrive, each standing on an individual plaque, with the twins being of course, side by side.

"Now that everyone is here, I'll explain the rules for initiation," the headmaster started to talk "Your first goal is to make a safe path to land using whatever method you can dispose of, after that your objective will be to locate and retrieve the relics located in the forest temple, have in mind that this is a Grimm infested forest, and although we will keep an eye on your progress, our staff won't intervene if in any way if you face any Grimm, so do not doubt to eliminate any threats you may find, or you will die, and also please have in mind that this is where the pairing process begins, meaning that whoever you make eye contact first will be your partner for the next 4 years, and in the case of mister Atlas and mister Alistair, the first one that you can sense will be your partner," The man adjusted his glasses while making a small bow to the two blind students in front of him "Any questions?"

No voice or hand raised, professor Ozpin smiled and nodded.

"Stand ready!" the headmaster said.

A clicking noise came from Bronn's platform before launching him into the air, this was what he had expected since he arrived, the most important event to occur in his life at Beacon, his arms opened and legs pushed forward, resembling a swooping eagle, his claws opened, preparing to hold a large branch of a tree in the distance.

Initiation day had begun.

* * *

 **Character heights of everyone so far (just in case anyone wondered)**

 **Bronn Ravine** : 1.80

 **Rutherford Lockhart** : 1.79

 **Raya Lockhart** : 1.79

 **Mister Atlas (yup, not giving his name)** : 1.69


	3. Initiation Day

**Hey everyone, sorry I couldn't get the episode out sooner, last week was a busy one, and it really didn't leave with too much time to write, but anyways... Sorry!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Initiation Day

The branch that he had chosen to land almost broke upon impact, Bronn immediately jumped to the next tree in line, deploying his hand claws and stabbing the tree to hold onto the stem, the eagle pushed himself upwards to hold into the largest branches, they supported his weight just fine, he had made a safe landing.

Bronn turned his head backwards to see how the rest were doing, some unknown students had been launched after him, everyone making their way down to the trees or land, there was a woman who pointed her heels directly to the ground, Bronn lost her before hearing the sound of crashing bones and the agonizing roar of an Ursa, an enormous man stabbed his humongous sword on a tree before sliding down, the tanned scarred man just parkoured his way down the trees, other students used simpler methods, like firing their weapons to help cancel momentum, some tried to copy the maneuvers of others, while others were more creative, hell, there was a girl in a wheelchair that turned into a helicopter.

He continued to watch, Velvet was next in line, he wasn't sure to what exactly she would do, since she only carried two daggers, once she was in the air she pulled out her two knives to stab a tree, she vigorously climbed to the top before starting to jump from tree to tree, strange, he could have swore he had seen something like that in a tournament once.

The Lockhart twins were next, Raya being launched first, she shot a gravity dust round from a flare gun to slow down her fall, the brother was next, doing the same as his sister to accelerate towards her, they held hands as the fox positioned herself as a shield to break her brother's fall, Rutherford nodded vigorously before his sister turned into a solid statue.

Next was the man who had helped him in the mourning, after being launched, he looked uncertain of what to do, spinning around like a wheel, uncertainty didn't last for long, something had seemed to caught Atlas's attention, he turned in mid air towards the east, before making a nosedive towards whatever he had sensed.

It was time he moved, but first, he needed to take a good look at the surrounding area, Beacon was behind him, at a compass it would be north, front of him would be south, west at the right and east at the left, with that in mind, the most likely place for the temple forest to be would be the center of it, the place was huge, but the headmaster wouldn't risk to have the students wander too far from their objective or from the school, with that in consideration, the temple couldn't be any further than 8km from his current position, the problem was to find it, looking for it by himself would take too long, he needed to find a partner, someone he could trust, however… Probably the twins were already paired with each other so they were out of the question, Velvet went south alongside many of the others who were already in the ground, so she was probably already taken, which left him with only one option.

Sure, the man was a human, not precisely his first choice, but he had helped him once, although that wasn't enough to trust in him, it was enough to know that the boy would keep his mouth shut over his legs, if he even knew about them at all, as long as the black haired human didn't bother him, things would go nicely.

"He went east didn't he?" Bronn asked himself before letting a small sigh escape his lips "Time to get moving."

He jumped down the tree and started running towards the location of the blind human, although he could cover distances faster with his semblance, so many trees and bushes would only block his sight, there were no Grimm along the path, when professor Ozpin said 'Grimm infested' he thought that he would at least encounter a couple of the beasts by now. He spent running for a few minutes before starting to hear gunfire, it was close, but where did it come from? Bronn stopped and listened carefully for a few seconds, more gunfire, at his left, he immediately ran towards it, the human he had been looking for was surrounded by a pack of Beowolves.

The beast jumped to attack letting out a roar of anger as it's claws slashed to chop Atlas's head, the young man dodged, ducking below the Beowulf's arm and slicing it's throat in one clean movement before kicking it towards one of the numerous beasts that surrounded him.

He is weapons were a pair of bladed revolvers with an ammunition mod, whenever the Grimm attacked they found themselves slashing nothing but air before being mercilessly killed by the human, his movements were graceful but violent, not a single unnecessary action was made, every attack was to kill, one single move was all that he needed.

It did not matter how skilled the human was, he was outnumbered

Bronn decided to intervene, climbing onto a tree before jumping on top of one Beowulf, breaking the bones of the demon upon landing, the rest of the pack noticed, changing objectives, the eagle tore of the bony protuberances of the Grimm below his feet, throwing them vigorously at the oncoming enemies killing the ones that led the charge, that didn't stopped them, Bronn jumped backwards and deployed his hand claws, preparing for close quarters combat, and then suddenly, a hail of bullets killed the remaining Grimm.

"They were mine!" the eagle said with fake whining in his voice.

"Your voice… You're the faunus from this morning right?" Atlas asked.

"How did you even knew I was a faunus?" Bronn asked in pure shook.

"Your legs kicked me while you were sleeping," the blind spoke in a calm and empty voice "I guess we're partners now" he stopped for a split second "First of all, what's your name?" he asked.

"Oh, me? I'm Bronn Ravine" the eagle answered "And you are?"

"Widren Atlas" the man said coldly "Do you have any idea where the temple might be?" he answered

Bronn stopped to think for a moment, placing a hand on his chin, he had run for a good 5 minutes at full speed, that was enough to cover at least 1 and a half kilometers in distance, if the area of search could be put in a circumference with Beacon cliff as the diameter and the launch pads as the center then they would be near the half of the right side radius with an inclination of 20 degrees above diameter.

Temples are built to last, so it would probably be a stone structure, meaning that it's surrounding area would be clear of vegetation, with the knowledge of their current location and what they were probably looking for…

"Towards the center, we're looking for a clear in the forest in an 8 kilometer radius." The eagle said firmly.

"Best get going then" Widren spoke as they started to walk, searching for anything out of place.

They walked for a good 15 minutes, there was no banter between the two, not a word was spoken, another 5 minutes passed in complete silence, but maybe it was better this way, every human he'd met had always mentioned his legs as an excuse to alienate him, the mind of the young blind was a mystery, an enigma, he couldn't even imagine the inner machinations of it, but as long as he didn't comment on the legs, he couldn't care any less.

Suddenly, the human beside him stopped, raising his head in surprise.

"Do you hear that?" the blind asked.

"Hear what?" the eagle questioned confused.

"Crap" Atlas said before running full speed in the opposite direction.

A second after Widren's retreat two girls appeared from the bushes in front, one tanned skin with a naginata in her hands and another with a bladed crossbow on her back yelling at Bronn.

"Run motherfucker! RUN!" she shouted loudly as she passed beside him.

"What the–?" he started to speak with a confused tone before being interrupted by a massive Emperor Taijitu, making his facial expression to change from confused to panicked "FUCK!"

How the hell had this happened? He had no idea, so instead of fighting he decided to follow the advice of the unknown girl and run.

The group kept on running while the massive two headed cobra chased them, smashing every tree and bush on it's path, they ran for a full 2 minutes before running into Velvet and her partner, who was the girl who had landed on top of An Ursa, the girl from before yelled again.

"Run bunny lass, you two purse lady! RUN!"

"What?" Velvet said in massive confusion.

"Just do as she said and run!" Bronn yelled.

Velvet didn't took time to comply and followed, next stop, was the scarred tanned human and the gigantic teen, they received the same warning from the girl, they all ran in a single direction.

"That oversized snake won't stop at any time soon!" the crossbow wielding girl shouted.

"But we can't fight it here!" The humongous teen replied.

"We need somewhere where it can't use it's surroundings against us!" Bronn said.

"Forest temple at 9 o'clock!" the purse lady announced.

"Nicely done" Widren said "To the temple! The field around it should be clear."

As soon as his words left his mouth everyone changed direction towards the stone structure, just as Atlas said, and as Bronn had predicted before, the field was clear.

"Surround it and don't let it's spikes touch you!" The massive sword wielding teen said as everyone started to unsheathe their weapons, the most surprising one being the Gatling gun of Velvet's partner.

The fight soon started, the two headed cobra rushed in splitting his attention on the two groups that had formed, one being Velvet, her partner, the oversized human and the scarred one, the other group was Bronn, Widren, the dark skinned human and the crossbowman.

Bronn thought of using his semblance, it would be of no use, as son as he would put a foot of the ground he would be smashed, and the creature was too large for it's normal form to have any sort of effect.

"How powerful is your crossbow human?"

"Enough to dent armour, but that's it," the crossbowman talked as she pulled a lever on the end of her weapon, moving the string back while at the same time a magazine placed a bolt in place "least you can buy me some time."

As she said that the weapon was aimed, the human pressed the trigger and held it in position as wind dust charged behind the bolt. The three teens turned to look in amusement.

"Don't just stare like idiots, do something!" she yelled to the rest of her group.

"Right," Bronn murmured "semblances, I need to know what you two can do" the eagle spoke to Widren and the female at his side.

"Nothing of use," Widren replied calm as always.

"I can control gravity, not sure how it'll help pal," The human replied as she twisted her naginata into a combat stance.

Gravity… Ravine stopped to think, how could he use it against the snake, the idea that it might be useful to give their weapons an extra punch was discarded immediately, he seriously doubted that she had the necessary control to not break their wrists or their weapons if she tried, what about crushing it? No, it's heads were too close together and surely the human's aura would be empty shortly after and if the field was too big it could also harm Velvet's group, definitely not an option. How bout in defense… no, an Emperor Taijitu would be unpredictable at best, having a permanent field around them would be a bad idea and if she only activated when necessary it would take a tall on the aura reserves. Damn it, he was running out of ideas and the beast wouldn't wait forever.

"Thing's got dust for days tho," the female interrupted Bronn's thoughts as she gave a little pat to the shaft of the weapon before the edge busted into flames, metal slowly beginning to glow.

It was at this point that the head of the snake before them lost it's patience. Holes opened up below and at the sides of the grimm's head, shooting bony projectiles at them, traveling through the air at full speed.

"Scatter!" Bronn ordered as he moved out of the way of the projectiles that menacingly flew at him "You'll get paralysis as soon as one of 'em touches you," he yelled as everyone scattered to the flanks, Widren and the spearman to the left while Bronn and the crossbowman to the right. Sure, aura can protect you against blows or cuts and even heal wounds if you gave it time, but little it did when facing poison, and the spikes that the Emperor Taijitu shoot were soaked with it.

The eagle turned to the right to see how Velvet's group was doing, and immediately realized something odd. The other head of the snake had done the exact same as the one they were facing. They were working in unison, mimicking each other like a mirror.

A loud hiss-like noise escaped the white head as a hail of fire from the Gatling gun hit it's face, the black one we were facing did the same as a glowing orange naginata pierced it's skin. Both of the heads started to spin, rotating it's body like a vortex. They gave a few turns, moving so fast that the once scorching blade turned cold and the fire from the Gatling missed it's target thanks to the strong wind it caused, the sheer power was enough to knock us back. The heads stopped spinning, we staggered to our feet as we realized that our enemy was no longer black, but rather white, the heads changed targets and this time they did not wait to attack.

It's mouth opened ready to swallow Bronn and the human at his side whole, both dodged at the last second, the gigantic cobra head missing only for a few inches, he turned to watch the black head, and this time it acted differently than before. The two sides no longer mirrored each other, and instead they fought independently. Velvet's group would be fine, he needed to focus on his opponent and so turned to face his partner, he looked uncertain of what to do as did the woman at his side, he needed to think of something, fast, he froze for a split second as he realized something, the white head wasn't as close to the black as before, he could now use what he couldn't before.

"Atlas, draw it's attention, I've got an idea!" the blind turned to him and nodded without a single hint of doubt before firing to the beast. "Crush the head with your gravity human!" Bronn commanded the spearman, she looked confused but obeyed nonetheless. The woman smashed her hand into a fist, creating a gravitational field around the white head, smashing it violently onto the ground. "Blind it!" Ravine ordered again.

"Whatever you're thinking of better damned works!" The spearman said as the blade of her weapon glowed before unleashing a burst of flames and lighting directly on the Grimm's eyes.

Now there was just one thing left. Bronn turned to face the female at his side "Take the shot!" he yelled.

"Like you need to tell me that pal" she answered with an ear to ear smile as she aimed the crossbow just a little bit upwards before letting go of the trigger. The bolt was shot with such power that it would have been enough to kill it would have landed on it's head.

It hit the neck.

"Get back! NOW!" she yelled as she pushed a button on the side of her weapon. A ticking noise was heard from below the Grimm's head before exploding, sending the head flying into the forest. The white side was dead and the other head wasn't happy about it.

The beast made a high pitched noise that one would not expect from a snake loud enough to be heard from a kilometer away.

"Cut it down big man" the woman with the Gatling said to the gigantic teen who seemed happy to comply by chopping the head off in a section that was heavily damaged, killing it almost instantly.

"Good riddance," the crossbowman spoke "Now let's grab a relic and get our sorry arses outta here."

"Couldn't agree more," Bronn said placing a hand on his chest.

The group slowly approached the temple, in surprise of what the relic was: A figure of a knight holding a longsword in front with both hands on the pommel, they were all identical except on the material, two were bronze, another pair were silver, other two looked like onyx, and so on.

"Some of the pillars are empty," the eagle pointed out.

"Genius," the crossbowman said sarcastically. "Just grab one and let's go."

"Wait, do you hear that?" Widren said as he came to a halt, nervously peaking his head up.

"I do" the tanned man said.

Just as they said that we all felt the ground shake, and then hundreds of Grimm came rushing through the forest.

"Oh! Sure, now these guys show up!" the spearman shouted angrily to the heavens.

"Pick up a statuette and run" the woman with the purse said.

They all couldn't agree more, each pair taking a random relic and running towards Beacon. It felt like the longest chase in my life, even though it lasted only for a few minutes before reaching Beacon cliff, we all climbed to the top, hoping the Grimm would gave up. We were immediately proven otherwise as the beasts started to make their way up the cliff, we couldn't face so many, but we didn't have to. A dark cloud formed above us raining ice spikes on the enemy, and soon there were no Grimm.

Everyone all looked among each other, trying to find who did it, no one spoke, for non of them had such skill with dust, we turned around and to everyone's surprise, it was Glynda Goodwitch herself.

"I thought the teachers wouldn't intervene" Bronn said in shook.

"We wouldn't have intervened had it not been for all of you finishing the mission, you have completed each objective successfully" she stopped for a second to adjust her glasses "Welcome to Beacon."

/-/

Everyone in the room clapped as professor Ozpin announced team CFVY, it was one of the last ones to be assigned, we were gonna be last, and by who I ended up sharing relics, I had a feeling I wouldn't like it.

"Robert Hoffmann, Vorhut Vega, Natalia Storm and Garrett Highgate" Ozpin started to name The team "The four of you retrieved the onyx guardians, from this day forward you will be known as: Team RVNG, led by Robert Hoffmann.

"What kind of name is that?! It's not even a colour!" the spearman said almost laughing as team RVNG left the stage.

"Sapphire Bendercloud, Freya Goldengate, Raya and Rutherford Lockhart. The four of you retrieved the malachite guardians, from this day forward you will be known as: Team SFRR, led by Sapphire Bendercloud."

"How did Sapphire even managed to get accepted? She's in a wheelchair!" this time the crossbowman was the one to whine about it.

"Rowena!" the eagle yelled in a whispering manner as the headmaster signaled us to stage.

"Sorry," she with a chuckle that revealed she didn't mean it.

We climbed slowly and nervously

"And finally," the man paused "Bronn Ravine, Rowena Demarco, Widren Atlas and Nadya Veilhood. The four of you retrieved the silver guardians, from this day forward you will be known as: Team BRWN, led by, Bronn Ravine."

The clapping wasn't as cheery as it was with the other teams, they didn't seem to like a faunus as team leader, and he hated to be in a team surrounded by humans, what would the future hold for him? He had no idea.

But something told Bronn that he wouldn't like it.

* * *

 **Oh well, it seems that initiation is (finally) over**

 **So! As to the Emperor Taijitu, no it was no mistake, and has an explanation down below... So yeah!**

* * *

Extract from the book: **"Grimm and it's classifications" (page 64)**

 **Emperor Taijitu**

"Many things have been noted regarding the Grimm in the past few years, one of which is that any form of Grimm is bound to have a mayor version of it, a good example being the Beowolves when they age and eventually become Alfa Beowolves. And of course, the King Taijitu is no exception.

Once a King Taijitu reaches at least two years of age, it's body will enter in a torpor state for half a year, time in which the creature will suffer some changes. The bony protuberances on top of the Emperor's head will reassemble more of a crown with two horns at the front and the head gains the look of a cobra, it also grows in size.

An Emperor Taijitu is known for three main characteristics: it's poison, unpredictability and it's ability to call aid from nearby Grimm to avenge him once the beast is in the verge of death.

As for any combat tactics, there is only one thing that's certain: It will study you, meaning that it'll wait for you to attack first in order to counter you properly."


	4. Nadya Veilhood

**Hey everyone!**

 **So, we're finally finished with initiation and we can get onto team BRWN and a little bit of SFRR too, mainly to introduce character motivations and some others that haven't been properly introduced, after that we'll get onto the good stuff.**

 **So... yeah!**

* * *

Chapter 4: Nadya Veilhood

Well, she had made it. Everyone back home laughed when she said that she wanted to be a huntress, heh, wish she could look at their faces now. They all said that it was a foolish dream, that the Veilhood family had no place among such people, that they were not 'true warriors'. But so far things were smooth as silk, initiation was a piece of cake and her team seemed to be full of nice people… it was perfect!

"Sooooo, this our dorm right?" Nadya asked as they stood in front of the door to the room.

"Looks like it," their team leader sighed as he opened the door, revealing four beds in a line in a wall next to a window… that was a serious flaw in design "So, let's unpack and–"

"Woohoo! It has a bath! I am SO taking a shower right now."

Everyone turned to face the Goliath in the room, or in this case; the overly hyped girl in the room that was Rowena.

"What?" she asked once the girl noticed that they were all watching her with a raised eyebrow and a skeptical grin.

"And here I thought I could get some peace before some sleep" the faunus said "Shouldn't you at the very least unpack first?"

"I don't wanna."

"I don't know why do I even bother with trying," Bronn sighed as he started to unpack.

"Ugh, you're no fun," She whined before unpacking as well, and soon after Widren and Nadya did the same.

Everyone had different stuff of course, some weirder than others, like Rowena's Ursa teddy or Widren's anti-stress magnets, but who was she to judge? Everyone has that little thing they're ashamed of.

"What's that stuff?" the crossbowman peeped her head over their leader's shoulder, making him jump in surprise as well as putting away a grey box, hiding it in a drawer at his side.

"You saw nothing!" Bronn seemed upset about the question.

"I saw a y-"

"AHEM!" the eagle cleared his throat loudly.

"You suck," she complained while kicking the floor.

"With that out of the way," he sighed while sitting on the bed at the corner next to the bathroom, getting off his pieces of armour and leaving them at the side of the bed "We sleep."

"Just like that? I don't like the idea of sleeping next to a window," Nadya expressed her disagreement of the idea.

"We'll sort that tomorrow morning, we are tired Nadya," Widren said and she couldn't help but to hum in agreement.

"I wonder which bed to pick," Rowena questioned herself with a hand on her chin and eyes narrowed "This one!" she slumped into the bed next to Bronn's.

"Gods NO!" he yelled "Pick another one."

"Nope."

"You do realize that any bed will suffice right?"

Nadya slowly turned to Widren and shrugged, he pointed his head indicating her to intervene before their team leader lost his patience and Rowena's teasing turned to insults. She shook her head in a 'you do it' motion, he instead shaked his head and signaled with a finger before raising his arms and walking towards the bed in the opposite corner of his partner. 'You're gonna pay for that Atlas.'

"Alright alright alright, cut it out you two, yer worse than my parents," she pushed between them as she spoke "Rowena, take the one next to Widren, I'll have this one."

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. Nadya couldn't help but sigh and roll her eyes.

"I'll do anything you want," she said _'I am SO gonna regret this.'_

"Really?! Thank you thank you thank you!" she yelled happily as she immediately jumped to the next bed in line.

"You owe me one Ravine," the spearman whispered.

"Indeed," he looked worn off for sure, all more obvious by how he yawned as he pulled out his jacket, and then his shirt…

"Whoa! Slow down champ, I'm not ready for that yet," she placed her hands on her face to not look, _'can't hurt to sneak peek right?'_ she cracked open a small space between her fingers and then all she could think was _'hot damn,'_ at the sight of Bronn's upper body. He wasn't particularly bulky, in fact, he looked quite slender with his clothes, which made his musculature much more surprising, his shoulders were strong as were his arms, he stretched his back, making it's bones crack as he sigh in relaxation, he did the same with his arms, the movement of his muscles as they stretched was a sight to see, his abs were just the cherry on top of the cake, it was the body of a man who has trained for quite some time, and in all honesty, it was quite pleasing. She felt her cheeks tainting.

"What are you starting at?" the eagle questioned in clear disgust once he noticed Nadya's stare.

"Don't mind me, I'm just enjoying the show," she said placing her hands below her jaw, resting hear head.

"Turn, now."

"Jeez, someone doesn't like attention." She turned around as she spoke. He didn't need to be so embarrassed, his body was fine, really fine, and it wasn't like he had scars or anything to be ashamed of, then why?

Her thoughts were dismissed as he told her that she could look, he had only put a sleeveless shirt and changed his trousers for something a bit more loose, leaving his legs uncovered, his claws…

"What's that?" Nadya pointed at the small handwoven pink sock-like covers that were on each claw of both of his feet.

"These? I'll tear the sheets if I don't use them," he pointed as he wiggled each finger happily.

She snorted trying to hold her laughter, her body trembling by the effort.

Rowena was smiling from ear to ear "Oh it's – hrk – noth – ghkjgg," she gave up mid sentence, bursting into the loudest and most hysterical laughter that anyone had ever seen "THEY'RE PINK! OH MY GOD THEY'RE PINK!"

Nadya tried her best to hold it, she really did, but in the end it proved futile. She gave in as well.

"Where you got them?! Yer grandma?!" the spearman asked between laughs.

"Yes! It was a birthday gift!"

Both of the girls laughed harder.

"I hate you all," Bronn pinched his nose bridge.

There wasn't much after that, after they finished laughing and decided to call it a day right there and then. There was no pre-sleep banter, no 'goodnight everyone' no nothing, it was like a damned funeral, even Rowena had shut up, leaving them in the most awkward silence ever. A good fifteen minutes passed before everyone fell asleep, everyone but her. Half an hour or so passed and she still stared at the sealing, she let out a quiet sigh and stood up to a sitting position on the edge of the bed, making as little noise as possible as she reached for her bag, pulling out a silver pocket watch, it was a silly thing to just have it, she couldn't read clocks, but it was all she had left from home. Nadya stared at it, the details that resembled the stem of a rose at the round edges still looked pristine, she had always took care of it, no hands but hers could touch it. She clenched the watch against her chest, smiling weakly.

"We're not in Vacuo anymore, we've made it," she kept it like that for a minute before holding the clock before her face once more, pressing a small button on the top to open it, it showed a picture of her dad, a bull faunus and her mom, a human. Nadya stared for a few seconds.

She closed it again, this time she hid it below her pillow before slowly laying down with a relaxed sigh "I wonder if you'd be proud of me," she whispered to the sealing. She could fell her consciousness slipping away into oblivion.

The night was cold, even if it was the middle of summer, she hated the cold, and after what she's been, cold only brought sorrow. Nadya Veilhood fell asleep.

Widren Atlas slowly opened his eyes, she hadn't noticed him.

No one ever did.

/-/

Sleep came to an abrupt ending. Not something that Nadya was necessarily happy about, in fact, no one was happy about it, except of course for Rowena. That damned girl was wide awake at 5 in the morning and then felt that somehow it was a good idea to wake up the rest by poking their sides into submission. Nadya was an early riser sure but even this was a little bit too much.

"Rowena let me sleep," Bronn wined while rolling in his bed begging for mercy and forgiveness from their relentless teammate, gripping the sheets with his claws.

"Get up you lazy motherfucker!" Rowena said in a friendly tone as she kept shaking him.

"It's 5:30 in the morning," Widren pointed.

"It's important to be early!"

"Lessons start at 9:00 am," Nadya talked.

"I stand by what I said."

"Officially, my sleep has been ruined," their leader stood up from his bed with an annoyed sigh, removed the covers from his claws, grabbed his uniform, a towel and shut himself in the bathroom. A few seconds later there was the sound of falling water.

"let's arrange the room while he's at that," their blind teammate said while looking at the two girls, the two nodding in response.

Their leader was undoubtedly pissed for not having his beauty sleep so best they could do was to sort the bed business out before he finished bathing. They didn't knew how bad the wrath of Bronn Ravine would be, but certainly didn't want to find out. Rowena suggested to accommodate them like bunk beds, but was quickly dismissed as stupidness because 1. Too dangerous, and 2. How the hell would they even do that?

"How about pushing them together? Not too close but if the ones in the corner hit the walls in theory there would be enough space to fit the central ones close enough to the ones at the sides to not be so close to the window," Widren spoke in complete calm.

"How do you know so much about the room anyways? Yer blind!" Nadya said.

"I have my ways."

"It could work tho…" Rowena muttered below her breath and hummed. "LET'S DO IT!" she cheerfully raised a fist to the air before rushing to Widren's bed and kicking it to the corner, making a horrible noise as it dragged across the floor, the blind's ears the most affected. She quickly jumped to the side of her bed, pushing it carefully across the floor. It actually fitted, sure the beds were closer together than before but at least it wouldn't be cold in the night.

"Nice," Nadya expressed her satisfaction with it

"Told you, now let's do the same with the remaining two."

"Said and done," Rowena moved to the other side of the room and did the same to Bronn and Nadya's beds.

Shortly after the faunus steeped out of the shower wearing his uniform with some especially shaped shoes that, unlike his boots, had no openings for the claws. Bronn took a deep breath, looking at the newly accommodated beds. He looked pleased.

"There's something that bothers me about it…" he said with a hand on his chin "Oh right," he moved towards the drawer in which he hid his mystery box and started to move it towards the empty space below the window. "Better. Now, I'd suggest that all of you take a shower while it's still early, and then I guess we will have to wait for classes to begin."

His voice was calm, not calm like Widren's, but rather like he didn't wanted to deal with them, the rest of his body told the same, and those bloody orange eyes, they weren't just annoyed, they were bored.

She was the first to enter into the bath, she needed to think. She took of her sleeping clothes and turned on the water, it was warm against her skin, sending a wave of relaxation through her body, it was exactly what she needed to give her a clear head to think. Their leader didn't trust them in the slightest, and those eyes said he despised them, but why? None of them had done anything to earn his hate, sure Rowena annoys the crap out of him but that's it. Why did he hate them?

Of course, the answer didn't came, but within time it would, she hoped. She cleaned her head of such thoughts and decided to focus on her shower and after a good 5 minutes she was done.

Next to occupy the shower: Rowena Demarco. And of course, she had to take way longer than necessary, damn her. Widren was the last, and to everyone's surprise, be was the fastest, 3 minutes was all he took, how the hell he did it with that much hair? Only god knows.

It was 7:30 am, still an hour and a half left before class, an hour and a half of pure silence. Everyone was doing their own thing, Widren had a book on his hand, Rowena played videogames and Bronn was reading something on his scroll, something about a failed huntsman opening a café, meh.

8:45 am, or at least that's what her scroll said. She turned to face their leader, he let out a sigh as he stood up and signaled the rest to come along. It turned out that they left just in time to catch up with first class. The classroom was… eccentric. It had various replicas of Grimm heads all across the walls, being mostly Beowolves Ursa and Boarbatusks, well, it certainly spoke for someone's ego.

"How do you think the prof will be?" Nadya whispered to Rowena.

"Dunno, but the decoration is a bit overwhelming no?"

"Ha ha! I see you're enjoying my collection," an overweight man with a bushy moustache and equally hairy eyebrows walked into the classroom. "It reminds me of the first Beowolf I killed. Let me tell you a story, one of a young and handsome man. Me!"

Oh… so it's gonna be one of those teachers. Officially the day sucked.

/-/

"I thought it would never end," Nadya sighed in a mix of frustration and relief.

"Weren't we supposed to learn something here?" Rowena agreed.

"What comes next?" Widren asked.

"History, launch break, aura and dust manipulation," Bronn answered with a sigh. "let's hope the other classes are not like this one."

The four made their way to the next class of the day. It was… unique. Ooblecck was passionate and energetic, the latter maybe caused by the coffee or by what Rowena referred to as: liquid cocaine. Whichever the case, many students didn't seem to care much about his class, or maybe it was because it was hard to follow, to Nadya it didn't matter, the man was eager for his work and passionate about his subject, the least she could do was to try and pay attention.

Again, just TRY.

/-/

"I'm so glad that's over."

"You haven't seemed to enjoy any particular class so far," Widren said.

"They're all just SOOOOO boring!" she whined

"Let's forget about classes n' crap and let's go for a bite, I'm starving," Nadya sighed.

"Agreed," Bronn spoke.

He still spoke with that voice, he barely knew them, there was no reason for him point act like that, so why?

The question lingered in her mind more than she wished to, she wondered around her head for so long theta before she realized it, they were already in the cafeteria.

"Hey lad!" a cheerful rough voice was heard from several tables away "C'mere, sit with us!"

Bronn sighed "Sure, why not."

Something clicked in Nadya's mind. His voice wasn't the same as before, there was emotion in his sarcastic speech, the air around him suddenly seemed more relaxed than before. The million lien question: Why? It was something that roamed in hear head until the four of them reached the table of the one who called them.

"Sup man, I haven't showed you my team now have I?" the men in question said while taking a swig from 'Holy cow that's a big hip flask.' "So," he continued without letting Bronn speak "Wheels right 'ere is Sapphire," he placed an arm around the girl "Goldilocks over there is Freya," he pointed at a skeptical blonde on the other side of the table "And of course, you know sis."

"Seriously? Wheels? Goldilocks?" the fox eared faunus glared at the single men of her team "That's bound to trigger someone someday. They're shite nicknames too."

"It's okay Raya, I'm not offended by it, I like it," Sapphire defended him.

"You sure?" she leaned closer "I can still punch little brother in the face y'know."

"Hey," his voice was a little deeper than before. "You're just 1 hecking minute older, don't let it get over yer head," _'They're twins? What the hell? Isn't she a faunus? Well yeah they do kinda look the same but still, that's a bit weird.'_

"Still have power over you, you little s-" she couldn't finish her sentence. A bowl of noodles hit her head from behind, they could hear the giggles of some girls on a table on the other side. Bronn was quick to snap his head with an expression of pure hatred towards them, the rest of team BRWN looking at them too, Raya looked to her food as she rubbed the back of her neck, ears tilted down, the rest of her team turned their bodies around to look as well, Raya's twin moving only his head _'Ok, that's creepy as shite, least it explains somethings.'_ She thought before looking at his expression. His gaze was the one of a man demanding for blood. He made to stand, a hand caught his wrist.

"Ruth," Raya looked at her brother's eyes "Don't. Please."

"It's your first day. I won't let those shitheads ruin it."

"It's yours as well," Raya paused "Don't let them ruin it," her brother shot her a worried expression. A few seconds later he took a deep breath and releasing a long sigh.

"Fine," he stood up and placed a hand on Raya's shoulder "Come now, ye need to be clean for next class. Catch up later."

And just like that, the twins were gone, leaving them with awkward silence. Nadya started to hate those.

"So, you're team SFRR right?," Rowena broke the ice.

"I just wonder how you guessed that," the curly blonde answered, voice thick with sarcasm.

"That's easy! Wheels is Sapphire!" well, apparently someone was more of an idiot than it seemed.

"Are you sure you're not bothered by the nickname Ms. Bendercloud?" Widren asked. Huh, first time that he actually talked to someone instead of just making a small comment _'who even speaks like that anymore?'_ Anyways, weather he was faking his formality or not was unclear. Nadya realized something in the few hours they had been together: Widren was almost impossible to read. He smiled, frowned, smirked, all sort of expressions really, but the problem was in those eyes, those damned lifeless eyes. They were supposed to be the windows of the soul and yet they felt so… empty. They didn't showed boredom like Bronn's, in fact, they didn't showed anything most the time, and when they did, they showed regret, pity or sorrow. She didn't liked that.

"Just call me Sapphire, It feels weird when you say that," she slipped a smile across her lips. "And no, I'm okay with it."

"Pleased to hear it."

"So, any idea who threw the noodles?" Freya asked.

"Team LVNR. Caught the leader smiling," Bronn spoke.

"I'll give 'em a piece of my mind, that's for damn sure." Note to future self: if Freya is angry, run, she's Grimm scary like that.

"You've only met since initiation at most. Why do you even care?" Bronn glared deadly sharp at Freya.

"They're my teammates," she glared back. "You're probably not any better," Bronn grunted in response and stood up.

"I believe it's time for next class," the instructions were clear as day: let's get outta here. The three of them stood up as well and made to follow outside of the cafeteria. She could almost hear Freya's eyebrows frown.

/-/

So far every classroom was unique. Port's filled with Grimm replicas and Ooblecck's with maps marked of every continent and mayor city. But this, this one seemed to leave the others ridiculed. Dust dispensers on both walls, one for each type, a dusty old burnt training dummy on a corner and in the chalkboard a drawing on basic aura defense. But nooooo it's the teacher that's weirder. Even with all of the 8 first-year teams chatting the woman was asleep… in her desk, with several thermos at her side.

"Uh… prof?" a girl in glasses and a beret poked the teacher. "Huh, so she's truly sleeping. Come Fox, now's our chance," she walked towards the door with her tanned teammate following.

"Coco, what if she wakes up?" a bunny faunus stopped her with the sheer might of her cuteness.

"Relax bun, I'm an expert."

"The consequences of past actions always find a way towards retaliation." A humongous teen spoke.

"Yats, do you have to be so poetic? Besides, it's only one class."

'Heh, this is where the law of karma comes in: I bet the second she steps outside the classroom the teacher will wake up.'

"PUNISH ME MORE OFFICER!"

 _'Yep, nailed it.'_

"Huh… what are you doing there? Sit down." The teacher signaled the seats at the side of the girl's team.

"Ugh damnit." Coco pouted and sat down next to her partner.

A second passed, the professor scanned them all and sighed. She stood up and took a drink from one of the thermos at her side.

"Well, with that outta the way. I'm professor Cassandra Peach, I'll be teaching you all everything that there is to know about aura and therefore dust. Questions?" she scanned them again with a raised eyebrow, and a yawn, not noticing (or more probably ignoring) Rowena's raised hand.

"I have a question!" Her partner interrupted once she noticed her hand being ignored. "What's that you're drinking?" she pointed her finger at the several discarded thermos on the desk.

"About class kid."

"Ah, none then."

"Good. I guess I'll start with the basics, just to refresh your minds. Aura is the manifestation of the soul, it covers it's user in a passive field that, much like armour, deflects blows. Sure if someone tries to cut your stomach you'll still feel the pain but at least your guts will be in place. Question Mr. Hoffmann?" she paused and looked at the leader of team RVNG.

"Yes professor. If aura is passive then why does it need to be activated?" He asked.

"Ah, quite easy, it is actually semi-active in nature," she paused to look at the confused looks of everyone in the classroom, pinched her nose bridge and murmured something between the lines of gods and patience. "How to explain… think of it like this: in a videogame you pick up a potion that boosts health, so obviously if you want or need extra health you need to drink it, but that's all it does, it doesn't regenerate health at the same time, it only gives you a little extra of it, it is an active effect. Aura works more or less the same: need extra protection? You need to engage the blasted thing, once active, it will do nothing else than what is meant to do, unless you deactivate it or your reserves are gone, so in that sense it is considered passive."

Thinking about it like that it made sense she supposed. Peach actually looks very versed in the whole teaching thingy, she explains well… yeah sure, Ooblecck was pretty much the same, except for the whole _"squirrel on caffeine"_ thing.

"So, moving on. If somehow you were stupid enough to cut your finger with paper, then all you need to do is to activate your aura, it has been noted that it heals minor wounds, we'll be covering more on aura healing later on the week but I will say this to answer the question you all surely have in mind: This kind of brakes the concept from early I know, so consider it an extra effect. Not as effective as you wish it was, but it's there," She took another drink. "So, there you have it, a semi-active protective field that heals. Questions?"

Nadya looked at the rest of the teams around the room, no one raised a hand or looked doubtful, huh, so everyone understood professor Peach, that was good, she now had a class that she looked forward to, well, apart from combat but that'll have to wait until tomorrow.

"Nice. Now run along, time's up, I started a little tight within schedule so don't hope all classes are as short like this one. Next class l want a research on my desk on dust applications and uses as well as the different reactions it has on concentrated aura. Now shush," the teacher waved a hand dismissively at the door.

As they left the classroom Nadya turned to watch her leader. He still had that look in his eyes. She would face him about it eventually, but now, she just wanted to let the week pass, she had finally made it into Beacon.

She wanted nothing more than to enjoy it while she could.

* * *

 **So yeah, there you have it, we got a little bit of exposition (mainly on my stance on aura) and to Nadya Veilhood herself (backstory *wink* *wink*)**

 **And why it took me so long? Well I kinda got stuck at the part where Peach explains how aura works since I'm not really good at explaining things, but in the end it worked (I think). Welp, on the next time: Rowena Demarco!**

 **On a side note, I'll be dropping this little bits of info on characters, places and Grimm as they pop up further along. Yes, I have a logical explanation for anything that may seem out of place, like for example the Emperor Taijitu in last chapter.**

* * *

Team pronunciation (just in case anyone is confused)

 **BRWN** : Brown.

 **RVNG** : Revenge.

 **SFRR** : Sapphire.

 **LVNR** : Lavender.


	5. Rowena Demarco

**Hey everyone! So this one took me a while to finish. Got into several stuck points, mostly whenever anyone interacts with anyone, I'm not very good at social interaction so it's one of my biggest nightmares to write… so yeah.**

 **Anyways, here you go :D**

* * *

Chapter 5: Rowena Demarco

Rowena wasn't sure what to think of combat class, well, other thing than it was gonna be awesome. Maybe it was because of the fact that she hadn't seen anyone's fighting style, well other than Nadya's and Widren's at initiation, it was a chance to learn! And to get to know better her teammates. The rest of the day had been cool and all, but… COMBAT CLASS! It was the most expected lesson since the week had started, and seriously; if anyone said otherwise they were big fat fucking liars, or BFFL for short. 'Heh, I love that acronym.'

"I'm so fucking pumped! Day two and we're finally gonna fight."

"Do you really have to be so jumpy about everything Rowena?" Nadya asked, raised eyebrow an all.

"If I may Ms. Demarco, I believe you are overly active as well." Widren agreed. And he said the miss thingy… again.

Their leader only hummed to form some sort of "Yes."

"But it's combat class! It's the awesomest and coolest thing we're gonna ever, EVER do in Beacon."

"like the other sixteenth times before: We know," Bronn sighed. He rarely spoke with, well anyone, wonder why tho.

"Ugh… anyways, take a deep breath and let go," Rowena did as her partner said. "Calmed down? Good, you'll need shoes on the ground for this."

"Fighting? Nah," she snickered. "I'll do better than you for sure."

"Make it a bet gal, thousand lien says I'm better," Nadya sent her a challenging look.

"Ladies?" _'Not now Wid!'_

"Oh? I smell victory already," Rowena shot the look back. "Don't cry when I get your money."

"Talk to a mirror Row, I think I'll be able to afford some SDC dust after I win."

"Like you need it more than I," She placed a finger in her chest for emphasis.

"Ms. Demarco?" _'Widren NO.'_

"Well just so you know my style is based on dust thank you," Nadya smirked.

"Turns out I used almost all of my wind dust on that Emperor Taijitu, and my baby can't work without it!" she yelled happily.

"Ms. Veilhood?" _'STHAP'_

"Didn't you bring extra?!" Rowena shrugged. "You idiot! What are you gonna do once it runs like a Vacuan river?!" Nadya half asked half yelled.

"Steal yours of course," Rowena let out a smile to rival the sun.

Nadya's expression changed from a rouge-ish smirk to pure horror and despair so fast her semblance might as well had been speed. "Desert's sand NO! You ain't touching-"

"ENOUGH!" a male voice raised loud enough to make her smile fall 'Well there goes my fun.' Curiously enough, it wasn't Widren the one to yell at them, it was their faunus leader. "If you two are done, then we can finally get in. Oh and we have arrived BY THE WAY."

They had? Oh yeah, they were actually in front of the door, huh, she honestly hadn't noticed. Come to think of it, Bronn could be pretty scary like that, it was the sterner look that someone had ever thrown her way.

"Demarco! The door, I would not like being late for class."

They were late? Then what were they waiting for? The door was right there! She thought as she kicked the door open with a huge smile on her face, only to be welcomed by the ice-cold eyes of Glynda Goodwitch. 'I take it back, Goodwitch's glare is worse, FAR worse.'

"Ah, team BRWN. I was wondering if you'd arrive, take a seat," the professor signaled them to sit on something that looked to be arena-styled benches. "Mr. Ravine," she called out, making the faunus froze. "Make sure this doesn't repeat."

"Of course Ms. Goodwitch, I will se that it does not happen again," he shot a glare at Nadya and Rowena before making a formal bow and sitting next to his partner and crossing his arms.

"This is gonna be awesome," Rowena whispered to herself as the teacher explained the rules. It was really simple actually, she would call two people, start when she said so and stop when someone hits the red, easy peasy.

"Now then, who wishes to step first into the arena?" that was the cue! Rowena jumped from her seat with a raised fist. "Ms. Demarco, good to see an enthusiast, now, your opponent shall be.." Goodwitch stopped for a second, watching every single student with a critical eye. "Mr. Hoffmann, would you please step forward?"

"Yes ma'am," the leader of team RVNG stood up and bowed.

They both made their way to the locker room to pick their weapons and armor before going to the combat stage. Rowena's gear was simple, a dark wine dust infused studded gambeson to keep her fresh with reinforced leather gauntlets, high boots and a couple pouches on her belt, along with her ammo bandolier. After changing they both stepped up towards the center, keeping a ten meter distance and entered into a combat stance, Rowena aiming for her opponent's head and Hoffmann holding his longsword in a wrath guard. Goodwitch stood in the middle with a hand raised. Somehow she felt that she was forgetting something, crossbow check, ammo check, dust check, armour check, semblance… oh right.

"Begin!" the professor lowered her hand in a quick motion, Hoffmann immediately dashed towards her, cutting downwards with a powerful blow, Rowena parried it to the right with the blade below her crossbow, the swordsman recovered quickly and made a stabbing motion towards her liver, landing the hit spot on, the pain was unbearable, she could feel like the blade piercing her aura and bruise her skin. With a loud wince Rowena jumped at her left to create distance, adjusting her body to face her opponent who immediately gave pursuit, not willing to give her the advantage of range and made a cutting motion at her legs to cripple her movements, she noticed his intention and before the blade could connect to her legs she rammed into his chest with her left shoulder and brought her weapon to strike him in the head with a backhand swing, stunning him for a few seconds before focusing her aura in her right leg and kicking clumsily to send him flying away. It was now or never, Rowena closed her eyes and focused, her semblance activated only two seconds afterwards.

Her body fell to the ground.

Rowena Demarco was no more.

/-/

Widren heard his teammate hit the ground, along with Nadya's gasp and Bronn's grunt of annoyance. He was curious as he heard how she nimbly placed her hands on the floor and stood up in one single and agile motion.

The others hadn't noticed her sharp and calmed breath, or how her aura gave a different feeling than before, like if her bounds had been cut loose but replaced with new ones, exiting a cage only to find another one.

Well, it seemed that things had just got to a new level of interesting.

/-/

Nadya watched in complete shock how her partner stood up with such agility that would have given a pole dancer a run for her money. There was no way that annoying, teasing, hyperactive mess of a girl could be so smooth like that, it just didn't add up. Normally one could tell the fighting style of one person by how they acted outside of the battlefield, or at least that's what dad said, turned out the old man's advice had been useful for once. Nadya was sarcastic, skeptical, a little hot headed at times and a little lazier than most, and that was reflected on her fighting style, she would rush to the front line and take the easiest and fastest route to finish an enemy, but was always prepared for the worst. Widren was calm, polite and intellectual, so probably the thing he would do on a fight would be to follow some sort of pattern to try and finish the fight in a fast and efficient way, but Rowena was… strange. She was just so carefree and hyperactive that her weapon of choice was just odd, she could have pictured her with a hammer or an axe, but a crossbow? To use a ranged weapon there is need for patience and a clear head to make the perfect shot, and Rowena clearly wasn't patient nor clear-headed.

Nadya shook her head to dispel the thoughts, maybe there was more to Rowena than it meet the eye. She took her attention back to the fight, it was… going nowhere. Rowena had gained distance and she intended to keep it, shooting explosive bolts to keep him away, while Hoffmann avoided them like the plague, stepping closer between reloads, while Rowena stepped further away, keeping the distance between the two even. She eventually hit the edge of the area, and launched herself forward to enter in melee against the swordsman, him entering into low a defensive stance. Rowena slashed at his head, Hoffmann docking below easily and moving to stab her throat, she looked down eyes sharp and dispatched a knee at his chin followed up by a roundhouse kick at his face, making him slightly loose balance, Rowena saw the opportunity and shot directly at his face that made him fall backwards, she aimed for another shot, albeit to a head a little bit lower, Hoffmann's eyes thinned with determination as he rolled to the side and got up immediately taking a reverse gripped half swording stance with the tip of the blade pointed downwards and stabbed at where a second before Rowena's left foot stood, she started to pull the lever at the front of her weapon to reload as she tried to step away, her opponent's eyebrows frowned as he angled the pommel of his sword at her face, glowing a pale blue before shooting an ice spike at her forehead, breaking upon impact, sending her stumbling backwards and falling arse first to the ground, she winced at the pain and brought a hand to her forehead. Last mistake. Hoffmann quickly took the opportunity and aimed her weapon at her in a half swording stance, but instead of stabbing the blade glowed red, before spitting fire in Rowena's face like a flamethrower, she only said one word in the split of the second it took for the flames to reach her face.

"Shit," those were the last words before her whole body was engulfed in fire, her aura falling quickly into the yellow and afterwards into the orange. Hoffmann stopped the flames to turn and watch the aura levels of his opponent, with a nod he got in a wrath guard, ready to do a finishing blow, except that his blade never came downwards, instead he started to do the unthinkable, the most brutal and lethal movement ever shown in the Atlesian fencing manuals.

He unscrewed the pommel, and throwed it vigorously at her forehead, landing with a loud smack, making Rowena fell backwards with a loud scream that could only be described as full of pain and rage.

He had ended her rightly.

A buzzer ringed, everyone stared in complete shock, eyes switching from the aura meters to the two opponents. Hoffmann's aura was in the yellow while Rowena's was completely gone.

"And with that, Ms. Demarco's aura has been depleted," Goodwitch began in complete and utter calm. "In a tournament style combat, this would mean-"

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME?! HOLY FUCKING SHIT! YOU FUCKING BASTARD BUTCHERED ME! AH WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH MY HEAD?! HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

"I-"

"YOU FUCKING DIZZY BITCH! HOW THE FUCK I'M GONNA AIM IF I HAVE BRAIN DAMAGE?! AH FUCK!"

Glynda glared at Rowena. "Ms. Demarco, please contain your frustration," she then sighed in defeat, turning to the swordsman. "Mr. Hoffmann, do please restrain yourself from applying such brutal techniques on future spars."

"Yes ma'am," they both answered in unison, one more respectful than the other. Hoffmann stepped closer to Rowena and held a hand to her. She grunted and looked at it like it was poison but took it anyways. "Good fight," Hoffmann said as he helped her up and walked out of stage, Rowena doing the same.

Was it just her, or was that out of character?

/-/

Rowena woke up in the floor of the changing room, already back to her uniform, she felt her forehead pulsing and in pain, what had happened? Memories swarmed her mind and suddenly remembered her fight… yeah that hadn't gone as expected, but no worries! Next time she would be better prepared, so no hard feelings, right?

She didn't let the thought bother her and got up slowly, massaging her forehead she started to walk back to her team. 'He hits like a motherfuking train, I'll give him that… ouch.'

"Hey Row, how does if feel to have a ball of crucible steel against yer head?" Nadya asked with a shit eating grin on her face.

"Like when your scroll falls on your face, just multiple it by ten… ouch."

"That bad?" she chuckled. "You owe me that thousand lien by the way," Nadya laughed in a way that reminded her way too much to professor Port while patting the seat next to hers, wordlessly telling her to sit down.

"Yeah… the bet," it was at this moment Rowena started to think at what exact moment her luck had taken such an ugly turn.

"You… do have the cash right?" Rowena didn't answer. "You conniving little shit…"

"Well, you see, I thought that I was gonna win but then I was fighting that swordsman, and then I lost and I thought 'Oh shit the bet' and then I came here and then I-I…" she stopped at the look on Nadya's face. She wasn't amused. "Look, I can give you half about now, I'll make it up for the rest ok, just-"

"Stop, stop, stop," her partner interrupted. "Vale, this weekend, bullhead at midday. Be late and I'll shove my spear up yer ass."

Rowena's eyes lit up like a lightbulb. "We're gonna go shopping?!" she asked with an enormous smile.

Nadya just laughed. "No, I'm gonna go shopping, you're gonna be my bag slave, and I want my five hundred." Her lips curved into a smirk.

It took Rowena a second to notice the open hand of her partner. She pouted and started to rummage through her pockets in the search of her wallet. It was a simple thing, she took it-

 _' **Thief.'**_

-before going out to Beacon. She opened it with a sigh and took the five hundred, leaving only a twenty lien bill. It felt so very light, yet so heavy in her hand, like handling your children to a stranger. Was this how paying taxes felt? Was this how poverty started? Where would she live? Where would she go to? What would she do? Oh no, this was worse than she thought, maybe she could work as a barista, or have her own café, maybe turn a common criminal or something like that… or maybe she would need to… OH BROTHERS NOT AGAIN! There had to be something else, how about-

"Oum's inkwell just give it already." Nadya's patience broke and snatched the money off her hands, breaking her train of thought. "It's yer fault for accepting in the first place y'know." She said while counting the cash, running her fingers through every single bill with a face of pure satisfaction, and once she finished, as in to throw salt at the wound, she smacked Rowena's forehead with the money.

So in response, all she could do was cross her arms and pout at the source of her newfound poverty.

/-/

Widren tilted his head to the side at the last bit. Rage, fear, her bounds again removed yet still the same, a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, frustration and optimism in equal measure. He was right, Rowena Demarco certainly was an interesting specimen, so unique, a black sheep in a heard of white, so perfect yet in forever change, bound inside herself, walls surrounding her wishes whispering, desiring, wanting, crushing, and all gone before appearing again. A never-ending cycle of pain.

He had still yet to see her face, to feel her, and yet he knew that she was so beautiful… It wouldn't stand, such thing shouldn't exist, she would die by his hand, she needed to die.

A shopping trip with Nadya Veilhood huh.

Well… that would be interesting.

* * *

 **OK! So that about wraps about it for this one. And man! I took WAY too much to finish this one. Stupid social interaction D:**

 **Ranting about my (outright) mediocre social life aside we got some (humongous) hints for little Row, man… this is slow as shit XD**

 **PS: Questions? Critiques? Suggestions? Please let me know! :D**

* * *

Extract from: "The book of Oum (found in the possessions of Cassandra Peach)."

In the beginning there was no light on which to take guide, no sky to admire during the night, no land on which brothers shed blood, no word was spoken and no bravery was shown, for there was nothing else but a blank canvas surrounded by the dark. And then Oum came, and with a mighty flick of his brush, the dark became his ink.

"For my art this is too dark!" he cried out and the universe obeyed, and so the light was born. "In here land shall rise! The seas shall surround thee, and on the darkest spots mighty peaks shall rise!"

Oum spilled his ink on the empty space, the canvas obeyed and the world was created. But then he realized, the world was too still.

And then he blew on the still fresh ink and with it the winds came in a never-stopping motion. It wasn't enough, for his creation was still empty, and so he stepped away from the painting and in a snap of his fingers a pen came on his hand and paper fell at his side. And so our Lord sat down and for four nights with great determination and care drew the blueprints of life. Plants animals and men alike were planned, every movement and every cycle, every detail and every perspective he drew until with his job he found satisfaction. On the fifth day he took pieces of the land and molded it to form every single of his creatures, and then he placed them carefully across the world, once more he flickered his brush and the figures disappeared into the painting. Oum had finished and so to rest the moon he created, a shadow to hide the light and let him sleep. However in his hurry to paint the moon, pieces fell, spelling doom on his creation, and so with yet another flick of his wrist, the rock vanished. But in his last attempt to save his painting, ink fell and formed the most corrupt of beings, a black stain he could never erase.

Vile ambition and envy to mankind threatened to destroy all. And then Oum for the last swung his brush, and with it, he gave men what the corruption could never touch.

"So long as your heart hopes, the light shall never die, and with it, you shall push back the darkness."

As his last words he spoke, he finally sat down, and rested.

* * *

 **Final note: Blueprints was all I could think of to reference his work as an animator. Sorry.**


	6. Eyes that don't see

**Guess who's back, back again.** **Obligatory meme is outta the way lmao. Hey everyone! I've (finally) decided to try to be a little more consistent with the fic. Now that I have (also finally) got off my arse.** **Anyways, here's the chapter.**

 **Chapter 6: Eyes that don't see…**

* * *

It was finally weekend. A relatively small amount of time in hindsight but it had felt longer than necessary. After all, there wasn't many things for a blind to do on Beacon, apart from reading his books and training, it was easy at first to pass time in that manner but like the blade of a sword it got dull as time passed.

But it mattered not, it was time for him to make his move on Demarco. He wasn't going to make his move, not yet, that would require a more subtle yet direct approach. He would observe and learn for the time being.

She needed to die in order to be free, her bounds would only be broken that way.

He could hear Rowena pacing around the room by the time the clock hit 11:55. Nadya was probably waiting at the bullhead docks and Bronn had left to go training.

11:56. She was going to be late, he couldn't allow it to happen least to make things complicated. time to act.

"Miss Demarco I have found myself in the need to remind you that your appointment with miss Veilhood is in 4 minutes."

"I know, I know. It's just that I don't wanna… it's hot outside!" Rowena whined.

"I believe that miss Veilhood's words were "I'll shove my spear up yer ass" and I must remind you that a spear is not a particularly short weapon," the first nail on the coffin.

"It's not that! I fear nothing and no one!" she puffed out her chest with pride and a maniacal laugh. "It's just that… I dunno but there's something that tells me not to go, y'know?"

Widren hummed in understanding. "Basically you're nervous, but do keep in mind that miss Veilhood is our teammate, and more importantly your partner. It is important for both of you to understand each other in order to have a better cohesion in battle and of course, forming bonds with the people around you is always a blessing, would you not consider so miss Demarco?"

"God fucking damnit," she cursed. "Fine, I'll go, but just because I fucking want to!" Rowena pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Just gimme five."

"You have approximately half of that time, and the window is open, my suggestion would be-" Just as he was nearly finished, a wind rushed past him, leaving behind a flowery smell.

"Geronimooooooooooo!" and so with no other words she jumped out of the window falling face first to the ground with a loud thud before getting up and dash towards the bullhead docks.

Widren Atlas followed in a silent chase.

/-/

She had to be stupid, there was just no other explanation, so much idiotness couldn't just be faked. Nadya had arrived a good ten minutes or so before midday, just to test if her partner would by mere casualty get her arse there on time, or even better, get there before schedule. But nooooooo, she had just to get 5 minutes late, covered in leaves and in full sprint.

Did it stopped there? Oh how much she wished it had. She was like a god damned stray puppy, eyeing everything and getting lost in the moment ye lost her from sight, but worst of all, they hadn't even gotten to ANY store.

Why did Rowena Demarco of all people had to be her partner? Just when her faith in humanity was going up, it crashed down like a motherfuking plane.

"So where are we going?" the girl shaped demon asked.

Nadya sighed. "Like I've told you the last fifteenth times, with a friend to get some supplies, maybe some clothes, after that it's back to Beacon."

"Awwww," the little beast whined. "Bummer, can't we just hang around? Get something to eat? Visit the gay bar?"

"Short answer for all of those? No. Long answer? Noooooooooooooooooo." Nadya spoke with the most dead voice she could manage. With all honesty, she couldn't figure out her partner, just how could she be that energetic al the god damned time? Just HOW? It was one of life's mystery's she supposed. With a sigh she shot her eyes forward, looking at the shop at the left end of the street. 'Yup, still open.'

"It's that one?! Why did It really to be THAT ONE?!"

And so before Rowena could whine any more she stepped into the store. It was a bit of a run down place, small too, but hey it was a heck of a lot better than the overpriced garbage that cyberpunk store sold across the street, she hated cyberpunk. Nadya took a step inside, her shoes tapping lightly on the wooden planks of the floor, as she stepped closer to the counter Nadya found herself being getting greeted immediately by the bearded bulky man behind the counter.

"Heya kid, what can I do for ya?"

"Hey Markus. How's business? Still on foot I hope," Nadya spoke with a friendly tone and a smirk as she got closer to the counter.

"I'm doing just fine kid. Now you just here to sightsee or you gonna buy something? Cuz I ain't got all day."

"I need dust, fire, ice, wind and lighting, just enough to fill a regular staff."

"Specks Of Dust?"

"SDC," she looked at his skeptical eyebrow. "Don't worry, I can afford it."

"Sure thing then kiddo," he turned around and started to gather the dust. "Who's your friend?" the bearded man asked without leaving his labor.

"Ugh, not friend, just teammate, I'm stuck with her for the rest of my career," Nadya slumped slightly.

"Hah!" He laughed. "I get ya kid. Back in my days I had a bitchy roommate too, that bastard never got off mah back."

Nadya was clearly not impressed. "You're not that old Markus…"

The man placed a hand on his chest and looked up at her "Ah, so mah dashing looks got ya, I know my handsome face can fool yer eyes, but I'm in my middle thirties lass"

"You've told me three times already, and my answer is still the same; you're not that old and the beard doesn't make you look any more handsome."

"Heh, very true kid, anyways, here's your dust," Markus pulls out a bag filled with dust containers, each carefully sealed with instructions on how to open it. "SDC's dust is not as reactive to external triggering so ye can just hurl it like a rag doll with no problem, also take this." He hands Nadya a paper.

"Dust for dummies… you shitting me right?" Nadya looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"They told me to give one to anyone who first orders SDC stuff so ya, there ya go."

"Funny…" Nadya let out a sigh as she reached for her money. "Anyways, how much is it?"

"Just a thousand lien, it's on discount for today so ye got lucky lass, it's usually the triple of that price."

Nadya hummed and glanced at Rowena for a second, who was reading a magazine on huntsman weapons and armor. "God damned puppy…" Nadya muttered to herself "Hey Mark, fill me in a small wind dust vial won't ya? The cheap kind."

"If ya say so kid, just don't mix it with the ones I just gave you or it'll blow up." The man turned around and grabbed a small container. "My dearest darling..."

 _'Huh?'_ Nadya tilted her head at the side in confusion. "What's that again?"

"Nothing kid, just talking to myself. Anyhow, here's the extra wind, now it's a thousand and two hundred lien. Ye sure you got the cash lass?"

"Pretty sure Mark," Nadya placed the money in the counter in front of Markus. "Fifteen with two zeroes in front, keep the chance man, see ya" She took the bag with the SEC snowflake and the small vial in separate hands and started to walk towards the exit, her partner quickly catching up. As they reached the exit, Rowena seemed somehow less tense, and Nadya hadn't missed Markus's eyes on the crossbowman.

 _'Weird…'_

/-/

Widren Atlas followed the duo like a shadow, he would only be seen if he were to let them. There was a certain tension inside the shop, one that he hadn't missed, one that he had felt even outside of it, it was only when Rowena Demarco left that her emotions found balance, fear and uneasiness released in the push of a door, the mask shattered, but then it didn't, an interesting find that was.

He listened to every detail and followed on every step, they occasionally stopped to look into stores without really purchasing anything, for a moment they were familiar…

 _'Reese takes my hand, he leads me to the store, he makes a click with his mouth as he shakes his head, Evangeline giggles as she pushes the door open. It might have been the scent of roses, or the velvet, silk and cotton, all in robes, cloaks and all shapes of clothing, it may not even matter but for once, a smile formed.'_

Then they were not.

 _'Nadya pushes opens the door, Rowena steps in enthusiastically, she starts to look around frantically, her partner shakes her head, annoyance, anger, it was not as it was meant to be.'_

It went on for an hour as they grew closer to Beacon, then they stopped. Smell of sweet, scraping chairs, chatter, all at ease and calm, Nadya Veilhood And her partner stopped on a small café. Widren got on a table at the opposite side of the room and ordered a cappuccino, he then closed his mind from sound, and listened.

It was bound to be interesting.

/-/

Rowena sighed as she took the cup of coffee off her lips. _'Oh yeah… that hits the spot'_

"Y'know, I don't get how can you drink a god damned espresso and not explode in the process," Nadya said as she drank her Atlesian Black, ugh she couldn't understand how in the seven hells she liked that, it was just… awful.

"This eye bags aren't there for nothing you coffee heretic."

Nadya raised an eyebrow "You don't sleep…" She facepalmed. "Ugh, I hate this team…"

Rowena finished her coffee in one gulp "Really? But I like our team. Our team's the awesomest of all!" she hopped happily in the air.

"No, we're not, BRWN is the most dysfunctional team in hole of Beacon!" Nadya's temper flared for a second. "Bronn won't even glace at us, you piss everyone off and Widren is just off putting."

Weren't they fine? Rowena was confused. "I don't get the problem."

Nadya sighed. "God damned puppy," Nadya sighed and stood up. "Be back in a sec."

Rowena tilted her head, she looked worried "I don't understand…"

But maybe she would.

/-/

Widren Atlas felt a change, it was yet again as it would always be. He found the way. But Rowena Demarco was not the only one.

Nadya Veilhood was right, he knew it, he always did, just as he would forever know.

/-/

Nadya sighed as she looked at herself in the large mirror at the bathroom. She tried her hardest to not punch the wall at her side, it was not enough to stop her from creating a small dent in it.

How could she not understand?! She was as much of an idiot as Port was a boaster, Her stupid naivety, she hated it, Bronn's damned attitude, Widren's silence, she hated everything! Beacon wasn't supposed to be like this, she should have been leader, she should have damnit!

Nadya takes a deep breath, she calms after exhaling, time to go back, dogs wandered if left alone.

/-/

Widren hummed a tune as Nadya Veilhood walked out of the bathroom, he listened carefully for her steps, he felt her rage, he knew of the error of her ways, she needed to know, she needed to be taught, but as of now he had another target, one far more interesting.

Rowena Demarco leans towards her partner, Nadya Veilhood seems confused, an eyebrow raises slowly.

"Something you want?" the spearman asks.

Rowena chuckles slightly, her voice is playful, deeper than before "Maybe, you look stressed my dearest, I can fix that for you, hmm?" the crossbowman grows closer, her moves are refined, it was the art of seduction itself, she places her hand on Nadya Veilhood's shoulder. The spearman looks confused.

"What?" she asks.

Rowena Demarco cups her partner's cheek "Oh darling, my dearest darling."

The eyes of the spearman widen as her partner slams her lips into hers, a deep and lustful kiss.

Widren tilts his head slightly.

That was bound to be interesting.

* * *

 **So, there you have it, now as for the unnecessary info...**

* * *

 **Extract from: "The basics of dust."**

The way dust reacts when activated may vary depending on several factors including:

-Weather conditions.

-Type of activation method (this could either be through impacts, ignition, exposure to it's associated element or aura).

-Quality of the dust.

-Mental capacity of the user.

All of this can cause a variety of reactions, all of them with a different use. The main factor is on the quality of the energy propellant and it's refinement process. It is noted that poor quality or cheap dust tends to be more volatile and active, similar to dust on its raw form, while highly processed dust is easier to contain, carry, use and control.


	7. Chaos and Determination

**Me last week: *sees progress* Hmmm no, this is too short**

 **Me today: fuck it, this'll do...**

* * *

Chapter 7: Chaos and Determination

Nadya's brain was in red alert, it had to remind itself that this was actually happening right now, Rowena Demarco was kissing her, in a very, VERY inappropriate way… she could have sworn that was her tongue just now…

Rowena pulled out with a small trail of saliva hanging from her tongue, she licked her lips with a coy smile. Her eyes were narrowed, Rowena looked at Nadya with her khaki eyes, they spelled desire, the temptation to get lost in them was almost impossible to resist.

Nadya was sure as hell she looked like a fucking tomato. Where the hell did that even came from?! What the cunting fuck was going on?! They had a week LIVING in the same room for fucks sake! Rowena was never like this! What the fuck!?

Rowena chuckled at Nadya's lack of words "Oh darling, sweet darling, you need to relax," she runs one of her fingers on Nadya's lips, trailing all the way down her neck, it send shivers down her spine. "Under my care, you can tell me everything…" she leans into her ear. "Wouldn't you like that darling?"

Nadya can feel that the eyes of everyone else in the café are solely focused on them. She felt a spike of panic, so she did the reasonable thing to do, rise from her chair and GFTO. Rowena looked confused, dumbfounded, so she left whatever money she had and started to follow Nadya at a slower pace. None of them noticed that the dust they bought was left forgotten. Gossip soon started.

/-/

Widren Atlas hummed. He had predicted something of this nature happening, although this time it had been different, so similar yet so different .There was confusion and panic, curiosity, anger. Some of the emotions still lingered, many of the people in the place would need to be dealt with least to make things complicated, as it had happened once. Widren drank the remainder of his cappuccino and called for the waitress, she moved slowly, still in confusion over what had happened.

"Excuse me miss but, did you saw what happened?"

She took a deep breath "Yeah… it's clear some people don't know to respect public spaces."

He didn't like what he was about to do, but it was necessary precaution. Widren took the woman's wrist firmly, she gasped in surprise, her fear was almost palpable as he looked at her with dead white eyes. He only spoke one word.

"Forget."

/-/

Nadya took a deep breath, she lets go slowly, trying to not draw the attention of the other people in the bullhead.

She grabs her head in preparation for the incoming headache. She hadn't had the time to process anything that had happened. She groans, that damned puppy just made out with her, in a motherfuking café of all places in front of Oum knows how many people. How that made any inch of sense? She had no idea.

As the bullhead took off she felt her headache getting even worse, she groans. "Is suicide an option?" she asks herself out loud, she curses even louder as she sees the attention of everyone on her.

 _'I hate my life…'_

/-/

Rowena Demarco wakes up in an alley, she was a bit confused, no one had done that to her before. She thought it would have helped, but then it didn't. She couldn't understand why her partner hated her like that, she wanted to, why couldn't she?

The crossbowman gets up and dusts herself, a smile appears on her face. This was going to be fantastic! She had always liked challenges, this would only take a bit longer! Oh she could se it already! Rowena Demarco, savior of team BRWN, maker of BFFs a story worthy of a movie! HAH HAH!

Her smile grows bigger as she takes a big step out of the alley and towards Beacon. This was going to be grand!

* * *

 **Sorry if this feels too short, couldn't really figure out where to go from there. Anyways!**

 **Also: BEGONE THOT**


End file.
